A Series Of Unrelated Events
by ToRuin
Summary: A series of one-shots for the 100 Fic Challenge. Chapter 4: Dark is up- He knows that the city will be there when he opens his eyes, knows that it will always be there. The rest of the world will crumble, of this he is certain, but the city will remain.
1. Introduction

**Author's Note**

_So yeah...decided to try the 100 fic challenge with Mikey as the focus character. I think I'm just gonna post them all to this story as a series of one-shot chapters. We'll see how far I get! I'm not gonna set a specific word count for chapters...some (like this one) might be really short, others might be stupidly long. And just because Mikey's the focus character doesn't mean I won't do stuff with the other guys, or even solely focusing on the other guys...just that Mikey will probably get more attention. _

_Don't own 'em. :) _

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><p><strong>1. Introduction<strong>

"And now, here all the way from the illustrious sewer systems of New York, for your entertainment, for one night only, ladies and gentle-turtles...even though there are only five of you. And Casey's not a turtle. So I guess I should say lady, gentleman, and gentle-turtles...oh, and rat! Gentle-rat. Sorry Master Splinter. Where was I? Oh yeah...for one night only, all the way from-no wait, I already said that. Anyways, doesn't matter. Lady April, Casey, Master Splinter, gentle-turtles, we are gathered for the pleasure...nay, the privelige! The privelege of seeing the latest unveiling of a turtle-gadget, designed by the genius turtle himself. May I present to you the one, the only, Doooooonatelllooooo!"

"Ahm...yes. Thank you very much Mikey."


	2. Love

_I totally had a block on this one...which is a bad sign for only the second one, but we'll see how the rest go! This one's a bit longer than the last one, but it's still pretty short. Hopefully I'll get an idea for a longer one for the next one. _

_Thanks for reading, let me know what you guys think! If there's any particular character combination (preferably one involving Mikey, since he's supposed to be my focus character, but it really doesn't have to be...I'm sure the fanfic100 police won't arrest me ;) ) you're wanting to see, lemme know!_

_I don't own 'em. _

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><p><em><strong>2. Love<strong>_

"I love lamp!"

Leo couldn't help rolling his eyes at his youngest brother's declaration, but otherwise remained focused on the task at hand. They had begun a new kata early that day and he was determined to have the first part mastered by morning practice tomorrow. He continued the movements, slow and precise, concentrating on every muscle in his body and how they were interacting with eachother.

"Hey Leo," Mikey chirped from the doorway of the dojo, "I don't know how to put this, but I'm kind of a big deal." _Note to self_, Leo allowed his thoughts to drift from the kata for a moment, _hide Anchorman_. He promptly returned to his task, all but forgetting the orange banded turtle who was now practically twitching with irritation. If there was one thing that Leo knew about his brother, it was that being ignored bugged him above all else. He would give up eventu-

"Mikey!" Leo shouted in surprise as he was tackled enthusiastically to the floor, "What the-what was that for?" Intent on ignoring his little brother, he hadn't noticed Mikey moving silently into the dojo. He did notice the fact that the smaller turtle was now sitting on his chest and was grinning down at him. He also noticed when two heads popped into the open door of the dojo.

"Well I'll be damned," Raphael muttered, a sideways smile threatening to take over his face, "You got him." Donatello looked like he was trying desperately not to laugh.

"I told you guys I could do it," Mikey crowed, "Cough up boys!"

"Wait, what?" Leo craned his neck to look at Raph and Don, who were now counting money, "You guys made a bet?"

"Um...well, yeah, kind of," Don rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"They bet me that I couldn't pin you," Mikey laughed in a fashion that was far too evil for Leo's liking. He stopped when a wad of bills hit him in the head.

"There you go knucklehead," Raph said as Mikey gracefully rolled off of Leo to retrieve the money, "You earned it."

"Traitors," Leo straigtened up with as much dignity as he could muster, "All of you. Traitors." Don broke into laugter at that, doubling over as he handed his money over to Mikey.

"To be fair Leo, we really didn't think he would win," the second youngest turtle shrugged apologetically after he had composed himself.

"That's because you guys don't know Leo like I do," Mikey spoke casually, his head down as he counted his earnings, "He concentrates so hard on ignoring me sometimes that he forgets about everything else. You gotta be more selective when you're blocking stuff out bro." The others watched in stunned silence as Mikey gave Leo a friendly slap on the shoulder and sauntered out of the dojo, whistling to himself.

_New note to self_, Leo berated himself as he walked (in a very dignified fashion) past his sniggering brothers and into his room, _work on awareness tonight. And every night for the next month. Or maybe three. _


	3. Light

_Ok, here's a longer one! (Kind of) __I had fun with this one actually. I started with a really vague idea and it got away from me a bit, but I feel ok about posting the final result! It's in first person, which is a first (no pun intended) for me. __Lemme know what you guys thing, or if there are any characters you'd like to see more of. _

_Don't own 'em!_

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><p><strong>3. Light<strong>

_Crack._

Dust flies as I smash face first into a brick wall. Ow. I bet I look pretty funny right now, sliding down the wall. Like...uh...like that cartoon. Crap. Why can't I think of...

Ow. My head hurts. Like, a lot. What happened?

I'm on my knees now, face and hands pressed against the rough surface. Stupid brick walls. Why do people always have to...oh yeah, that's right. I got thrown into a brick freaking wall. Again. That seems to happen to me and my brothers on a suspiciously regular basis. It's like all the walls of the city are out to get us. Me specifically.

Waitaminute if somebody threw me into a wall then they're probably-

"Shit," I hear the word come out of my mouth and it sounds super weird, like I'm listening to somebody else talk. As quickly as a turtle with wall-smashed face can, I turn away from the wall to see a Foot ninja running towards me. Do I have good timing or what?

The ninja takes a wild swing at where my head had just been...gotta say, I'm pretty glad that one missed. That woulda hurt. 'Headless' is not something I want to put on my res-

Oh crap. He's swinging again. Can't this guy take a break?

"Listen man," I say as I block his next swing with my 'chuks, "I would appreciate it-"

He swings again and I roll out of the way. Woo...dizzy now.

"-if you would just-"

I roll backwards over my shell and push myself up in what must be a truly graceful sight to behold. Until I stumble when the blood rushes to my head. Ugh. Very dizzy now.

"-you know, back off for a bit-"

Agh! This guy doesn't know when to back off. He obviously doesn't know who I am. Two words: Battle. Nexus.

...Champion. Ok, three words.

"-cuz I've got a killer headache."

With that I see an opening and send the guy flying with a swift kick to the face. Returning the favour, that's what Raph would say.

And speaking of Raph...where the hell are my brothers? They were just here a second ago...

Oh. Shit. Dizzy. Very dizzy. I can hear them...they must be close. I must have...wow. My brain is definitely not working. Why...I can't even remember what we were doing out here in the first place.

Doesn't matter...I feel kinda sick. Gotta get out of the alley. Probably can't...shouldn't...I probably shouldn't fight another ninja. I totally could. I would kick his ass from here to Jersey. Maybe just a quick rest first. I stumble towards the nearest hiding spot, which is a conveniently located space between two buildings. It's only three feet wide and it's pretty dark...seems good. Foot won't find me here. Might not find me here. Should go farther in.

I slide down the wall slowly and press my head into my knees. Whoa...that's warm. And kinda wet. I lift my head slightly to see that there's blood all over my knees. Great. Just what I need, a freaking leg wound. I should...whatever, Donnie'll fix it. I'm too tired. I press my hands into the blood on my legs. That'll have to do. It's not really that much blood anyways. Really. I lean my head back to rest it against the wall I'm leaning on. Stupid walls. It's definitely a conspiracy. A Mikey-hating wall conspiracy.

I try to take a deep breath but it's like my lungs won't fill all the way. I blink slowly and lift my eyes up to look at the sky. Weird. I can see a star. Or maybe it's an airplane, I don't know. It's hard to tell if it's moving...everything's starting to spin a bit. Feel like I might be sick.

You don't see stars in the city too often. Casey's farm...is that where I...no, the ground is hard, so is whatever I'm leaning against. It's not the farm. I'd be able to see thousands of stars there. I remember the first time I saw the sky out there. I'd seen pictures before, but it's not even close to the same. The moon, and the stars together...made it so bright outside, even in the middle of the night. I miss the farm. It's been a while since we...

_Ok, come on Mikey, pull yourself together._ I can feel myself drifting off. Zoning out completely, thinking about the freaking stars in Northampton.

I just have to stay awake for a bit longer. The guys...they'll be here in a minute. Actually...I think I can hear them. I tilt my head to the side, looking from the white light of the star to the orange light of the dim street lamps of the alley. I thought...but maybe I didn't hear them. Hope they're ok. I can definitely hear the ring of metal against metal, but I can't tell how far away it is.

After...a few minutes? An hour? They're still not here. I'm starting to feel pretty light headed, and the dizzy is just not going away. The world is really starting to turn wonky, what with the spinning and all. I'm trying, I'm really trying to not pass out. I can practically hear Donnie's voice in my head telling me to stay awake...

Or...wait, that's not in my head, is it? He's not...I can hear them calling...for Mikey. Me, I suppose. Michelangelo. Long word. Big name. I like it though...ok, there we go again. Drifting. Focus. They're looking for me. I try to crawl out from my hiding place but I don't get very far before my arms give out and I'm lying on the dirty ground. Gross. My face hurts. And my head. A nap would be nice.

I can hear Raph...sounds worried. About me I guess? I should probably...yeah, they might not find me back here. I try to call out to them, but it's a lot harder than it should be, making words come out of my mouth. I think something must come out, a groan or even a name, because the next second I hear Raph again, and this time he's much closer.

"Mikey? Mikey, you back the-oh shit. Don, get over here!"

Well this is embarassing. Face down between two apartment buildings. Just how I want my brothers to see me. This sucks. I try to push myself back up, and when I move I hear Raph breathe a sigh of relief. Then I can feel gentle hands pulling on my shoulders.

"Hey buddy," comes the gruff voice of my brother, "Easy, you're ok. You're gonna be fine." He musta pulled me out of my hiding spot, because I'm sitting in the alley, leaning on a wall. Again. Stupid walls.

"Raphie...feel sick," I hear myself mumble, my head drooping down. Raph's kneeling down in front of me now, and his hands are lifting my head and his eyes are wide when he looks at my face. Then he's pressing his hand to my forehead and if I wasn't so tired I'd tell him to bug off because that _hurts. _

"Leo," Raph calls, his voice more urgent now, "Donnie, I could really use your help here." Dizzy...think I need to walk it off. Get some air. Out of the lair. Or...where am I?

I try to push Raph away to get to my feet, and another wave of dizziness washes over me. Ooh...that's not good. I think I'm gonna-

Yep. That's me puking in an alley. Classy. Did I puke on Raph? He's gonna be so pissed if I did.

"Shit," Raph sounds panicked, "Don, what's wrong with him?" Don's here now? That is...that's really awesome. I want to wipe my mouth off but my arms don't want to work properly for me. They must be in on the conspiracy. Suddenly Raph moves over and Donnie is kneeling in front of me and his eyes are wide too and he looks kinda scared but his mouth is set in that grim line he gets when he's really determined and...too much going on right now. I close my eyes.

"Mikey," Don's voice is calm and I can feel a light tapping on my cheek, "C'mon Mikey, I need you to stay awake."

"Nn...'m tired," I groan softly, but I open my eyes and look at him. He's blurry. Blurry Don presses something onto my forehead and motions for Blurry Raph to hold it in place.

"That's it Mikey, now just stay awake for me, ok?" Then he mutters something to Raph and...and Blurry Leo's here too. That's nice. He looks weird though. Like...an alien. Or maybe a clown. Or a superhero!

"Hey little brother," Leo's talking now, and he's sitting beside me, "Raph and I are going to talk to you for a bit while Don sees what's wrong. Can you do that for us?"

"Mm..." I try to nod but Don's holding my head firmly in place.

"What happened?" Raph asks, seating himself on the other side of me. Hm. Good question. I think...why can't I remember? I try to picture what had happened, but only one image stood out in my mind.

"Wall. Beat up my face," I slur. My tongue feels too big for my mouth, "Walls're...out to get me." Leo laughs softly beside me. Don is shines a flashlight in my eyes and I flinch. Have I mentioned that my head hurts?

"Sorry," he murmers and flicks off the light, then turns to Leo, "Concussion. It's pretty bad. We should get him back to the lair. I'll have to moniter him for the next few days. He's lost a fair amount of blood, but nothing dangerous yet."

"Is he going to be ok?" Leo asks in a low voice. That' a _really _good question.

"Think so. Yeah. He'll be fine. He'll probably just have a headache and feel sick for about a couple of weeks."

"Coulda toldja that," I grumble and try again to get to my feet, unsuccessfully. Which is probably because Don, Leo and Raph are all holding me down by the shoulders. How is that fair?

"Just go slow Mikey," Don's voice is kinda soothing, which is nice because I'm starting to feel a little scared, "We're going to help you up, and then we're all going to go home."

"Um..." I try to remember the injury I noticed in my hiding spot, "I...uh...think I cut...my leg?" Damn. Why was it so freaking hard to think?

Oh yes. Concussion.

Donnie scans my legs for injuries quickly, shaking his head when he's finished.

"Nope. Legs are fine," he smiles at me.

"But...there...there was blood," I point to the blood on my knees, confused.

Raph looks grim, "That's from your face Mikey." My face? Wha-oh yes. Face, meet wall. Ah. That's why Raph is pressing...what is that? I can see blue out of the corner of my eye...it's Leo's bandana. That's what Raph is pressing into my forehead to slow the bleeding. Huh. No wonder Leo looks weird.

"Alright," Don exhales sharply as he gets up, "Let's get him home." Leo and Raph each take one of my arms and pull me slowly to my feet. Another wave of dizziness hits and I have to take deep breaths to keep from throwing up all over my two oldest brothers. Again. Don walks ahead and leads the way home.

We make our way slowly through the sewer with Leo and Raph practically carrying me. Stupid non-working legs. We reach home after what feels like aa very long time. As he punches in the security code to the lair, Don turns and grins at me.

"Hey Mikey?"

"Yup?" Ouch. My head hurts.

"Next time you decide to fight a brick wall," he moves to help Leo and Raph get me down the stairs, "Lead with your feet."

I'll have to remember that for next time.


	4. Dark

**Author's Note**

_Hey all! Sorry about the wait for this chapter...mix of crazy life stuff and the fact that this actually took me a really long time to write. I want to write up an explanation, but I'd like to see what you guys make of the whole thing. Let's see how good you are at interpreting dreams!_

_Not mine and such. Enjoy!_

_EDIT: This is a repost because I'm an idiot and somehow accidentally deleted this chapter. Gah. One of those days I guess. So yeah, if you've already read this, go do something else with your life. :) _

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><p><strong>4. Dark<strong>

It begins the same way, every night. He is standing alone in a vast field, surrounded as far as he can see by knee high grass that sways softly in the wind. The dying light of the sun spills across the low clouds like paint on a canvas, the colours so brilliant they almost hurt to look at. _(But none of this is real, so how exactly can it hurt?) _The pale moon hangs behind him and a silent raven wheels through an unfamiliar sky.

He knows that the city will be there when he opens his eyes, knows that it will always be there. The rest of the world will crumble, of this he is certain, but the city will remain. _(But he isn't there now, so what does it matter?) _He knows all of this and still he is terrified of what he will see when he turns around. He has seen it before, a hundred times or a thousand or more, and still he cannot bring himself to face it. It will go as it always goes, as it always must.

The raven drifts towards him, almost lazy in its elegance. Beside him a tree springs from the ground and grows and thrives and withers and dies, all in the space of a second. His eyes remain on the raven as it lands on one of the cracking branches, only inches away from his face. It stares at him for a moment and then looks out toward the setting sun. When he follows its gaze he sees that the grass is gone, dried up and dead like the tree, leaving behind only dust. The raven, still silent, looks at him again as though it too knows what is coming next. _(But of course it knows, because he knows, so why is he so afraid?) _

Without any warning _(But he knows it's coming, so why is he startled?) _the raven lifts its head and cries out, piercing the silence. The earth starts to rumble beneath him and the dust, shaken free by the movement, rises into the air. The raven flies off, and he knows that he won't see it again, at least not until the next time he closes his eyes. Far in the distance the dust begins to blot out the horizon as the rumbling becomes louder. He can't see it yet, but he knows the ground is cracking, heaving itself upwards and then inwards as if in throes of pain.

He won't run this time, he tells himself, as he tells himself every night. He'll wait this time, and let the earth take him. _(Because it's going to happen anyways, so why run?) _But as the dust cloud grows closer and the shaking more violent and the cacophony of the world dying practically unbearable, he turns, and he runs.

Every night he knows what he'll see when he turns, and still he has not grown accustomed to it. The city looms on the horizon, the same city he has always known, but this time _(And every time he turns around to run)_ it seems alien to him. It's his city, he knows this in his head, but he does not feel it in his heart. The people are gone, the places they left behind a mere shadow of what they'd been, desecrated temples of empty glass and cold steel.

As he runs, an orange glow suddenly illuminates the dark clouds that hang just above the skyscrapers. The city is burning, and he can't shake the feeling that it burns because of him, because he was too weak, because he turned away from the collapsing earth. Even though there was nobody there a moment ago _(But he is too far away, so how could he know that?) _a scream torn from the collective throats of millions rises into the air, drowning out the sound of the world falling into itself behind him. He is far from the edge of the city, but he can taste the heat as acrid air fills his mouth and nostrils. He runs faster now, desperate to reach the inferno before it consumes everything and everyone he loves.

He is close enough now that the heat of the flames makes it difficult to keep his eyes open, and even though he knows that he will never get there _(Because he never gets there, so why does he keep trying?) _he forces himself to run faster. As his skin begins to blister he hears the shrill cry of the raven, turning his head towards the sound even though he knows he will see nothing. He looks back at the city for the last time, tears filling his eyes as a rain of fire decimates the last buildings standing and the roar of the flame stops as suddenly as it started. Now all he can hear is the earth cracking behind him, and underneath him. The ground pitches below his feet and he is sent sprawling on his hands and knees. And then there is nothing below him, save for the darkness that envelopes him as he falls into the earth.

And then he is standing on a shoreline, the vastness of the ocean spread out before him, and he is no longer alone. His brothers and father are standing in the water, ankle deep, beckoning him to join them. He is afraid to for a moment _(And he can't decide if it was worse the first time when he didn't know what would happen or now, knowing that there is nothing he can do to stop it) _but he steps tentatively to the edge of the water, heart pounding in his ears.

They motion to him to follow them and then begin walking slowly into the sea. He follows them, as he always does, as he always will. _(Because what else can he do?) _The current tugs at his legs gently and the water is warm. He knows what will happen, but he can't help being happy as he walks with his family. As they get deeper, they turn their heads and smile at him sadly, one by one. They stop when the water reaches their waists, the five of them forming a circle.

Donatello is the first. His genius brother gives him a long look and then shakes his head, disappointment crossing his features. He wants to call out to him, beg him not to leave, but no words come out of his mouth. He turns to his other brothers, hoping as he always does that they will stop the inevitable destruction of their family. _(But he knows they won't help, so what makes him do it?) _They are both looking away, not paying attention to either of their younger brothers. When he looks back, Donatello is gone. He does not know why, does not understand why his brother would disappear without saying a word.

And then, without warning _(But he knows it's coming, so shouldn't that be warning enough?) _Master Splinter begins to sink beneath the dark water. Leonardo and Raphael watch, eyes wide and terrified, but they do nothing. He tries, he tries as desperately as he does every night to cross the short space between him and his father, but he cannot move. All he can do, all any of them can do, is watch in horrified silence as their father and master slips away from them.

He braces himself for what will happen next. Even after all this time, all these nights, this part still hurts the most. Donatello he could explain to himself, make excuses for, never allow himself to think the worst. Master Splinter had no choice, and he knew that his father would have stayed longer if there was any way to have done so. But his older brothers..._(Why does it still make his heart clench, his breath catch in his throat, his soul sick with what he can't help but see as their betrayal?)_

It happens quickly, as it always does. First they turn away from each other, then they turn away from him. This time when he tries to call out, the words come and his voice sounds strange to him echoing over the endless water. He shouts, begs, pleads for them to stay, but they ignore him and begin walking in opposite directions. He screams until his throat is raw, looking back and forth between them until he can see them no longer. _(And he always feels so broken by this point, so why does it hit him so hard every damn time?) _He's alone now, and night has fallen. He stares down at the dark water, lost in the reflected light of millions of stars. There is only one thing left to do here, and he does it gladly. The water is suddenly deep, his feet no longer touching the soft sand. He casts his eyes upwards, gazing directly at the stars as he allows himself to sink below the surface.

This used to be the end, this gentle descent into the abyss. He would open his eyes and it would all be over, at least for that moment before he remembered that he wasn't home, could never be home again. _(He wills it to be over, to open his eyes...but it won't end here, so why bother?) _As he sinks he feels something hard beneath his feet, and suddenly he is standing on the roof of a gargantuan tower with the city, his city, sprawling far below him.

This part is new, although the tower is old. It is bigger here, far taller than any tower as a right to be, but it is the same tower that he has seen so many times with his eyes open. He looks over the landscape and knows that despite the obvious devastation spread out before him, this is his city. Not empty, not defeated, only broken. He would fix it if he could, restore it to the way it was before, but he does not know where to begin. _(Nobody knows where to begin, so why do they keep trying?)_ There is life here still, and people willing to fight for it, but they are few against many. He knows, somewhere in the deepest part of him, that he will never see the city of his youth again. He'll still fight for it though, will do so until his last breath.

"You know that it's useless."

The voice comes, as he knows it will, from behind him. If he had the choice, he would stay where he is and just let it happen. He has learned though over countless nights that choice is not his, not here. Turning slowly, he faces the Monster. His brothers stand behind it, motionless. They watch as the Monster steps towards him, as it grasps his wrist tightly and lifts him into the air. He is crying now, begging them to help him, to do something that will stop what is about to happen. _(But they never do, so what's the point?) _

"This won't hurt."

And with that the Monster brings down a blade, cutting deep into his arm just above the elbow. Then there is fire and pain and darkness and still his brothers watch. He is screaming in agony as flame consumes the lower part of his arm and he is left in a crumpled heap on the ground, clutching at the bloody stump that was once a healthy limb. _(And he's felt this before, so why can't he shut out the pain?) _He lifts his head to look at Donatello, but there is nothing in his brother's eyes. He looks to Leonardo and Raphael, only to be met with the same blank stares. Then there is a clawed hand around his throat and the Monster is raising him into the air.

"Pathetic," the voice drips with contempt. He tries to reply, but the hand around his neck clenches tighter, choking the words from him.

"You are the reason they left," the Monster continues, its voice growing louder until it practically deafens him, "You are weak."

"No," he croaks, grasping feebly at the Monster's arm with his remaining hand. He looks over the Monster's shoulder at his brothers, who continue to watch the scene unfold.

"You are pathetic," the Monster continues as tears spill silently down his cheeks, "You are nothing." With a vicious snarl the Monster hurls him off of the tower, and he is plummeting through the air with nothing to stop him. _(It will be over soon, so why is he so scared?) _The pain in his arm grows worse with each passing second, until it is the only thing he can think about. His eyes are squeezed shut against the winds whipping at him as he falls, but he forces them open to watch as the ground speeds towards him.

He can see details now, parks and trees, people and cars, dumpsters and sewer grates. And then the sound of wind is gone and there is nothing but the silence and the sidewalk rushing up to meet him. He closes his eyes, ready now to welcome the sweet oblivion that will relieve him of this eternal cycle of forced memory and waking nightmares. _(But he can't abandon the city now, so why does he dream it?) _

He opens his eyes with a start, jolted from sleep by that all too familiar sensation of falling. For a moment he is home, and his brothers and father are sleeping just a few short steps away and he is happy. But then a searing pain shoots up from his elbow and he feels where his arm should be and _oh god it's not there anymore_. It all comes to him, flooding through his mind, wave after painful wave. He remembers where he is, he remembers the nightmare that has plagued him for so many hundreds of nights, and he remembers what happened two weeks ago to change it.

It is dark here, and he is alone.


End file.
